Introducing HSINMUN XIX's keynote speaker, Ian Rowen! Ian Rowen is an associate professor in the Department of Taiwan Culture, Languages, and Literature at the National Taiwan Normal University, with his research primarily focusing on social movements, tourism, and geopolitics in East Asia. He is the author of One China, Many Taiwans: The Geopolitics of Cross-Strait Tourism (Cornell University Press, 2023), the editor of a volume of literature, Transitions in Taiwan: Stories of the White Terror (Cambria Press, 2021), and lead translator of Tibetan Environmentalists in China: The King of Dzi (Lexington Press, 2016). Previously an assistant professor in the School of Social Sciences at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, he received his Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2016. With much experience and research on East Asia, Ian Rowen is the perfect keynote speaker to lead the discussion on this year’s theme: “Reaching the Far Ends of the Spectrum: Decreasing the Polarization of Conflicts.” With rapidly changing political situations worldwide - whether it be shifting political spectrums or increasing international tensions, Ian Rowens' knowledge on these topics can inspire student discussions throughout the conference.